Twenty Four Hours to Live
by Heather Sinclair
Summary: Tonks has uncovered a Hit List and a lot of people are on it, including her and Harry. Axe Wielding!Harry
1. Justin Finch Fletchley

Twenty-Four

Hours to Live

by

Heather Sinclair

_**Spoilers: **_Order of the Phoenix

_**Pairings: **_H/Tonks

**Rating: R** requires the presence of a Parent or Guardian  
This story is specifically designed to be viewed by adults and therefore may be unsuitable for minors under 17. This story contains one or more of the following**: graphic violence, explicit sexual activity, **or

**crude indecent language. **

_**Disclaimer: **_This story, and any content relating to the Harry Potter franchise is not authorized by J.K. Rowling, or Scholastic Press. I own my computer ... Can I have Harry and Tonks instead?

_**Author's Note:**_ After a long absence I am re-editing the current story and reposting it in place of the badly edited potions already posted. Chapter 4 (New) will be posted immediately afterward. Enjoy!

Chapter One

Justin Finch-Fletchley

December 24, 1996

12:00 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Gryffindor Tower Common Room

Harry Potter stared at the iridescent flames of the magically enhanced fire for the third hour straight while nursing the last dregs of warm butterbeer from the bottle that hung limply between his fingers. He was alone, truly alone, for the first time in his life, and had been so since the beginning of winter holidays.

His former friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, were off doing Merlin knows what for a little over a week. From the spattering of conversation he had overheard, here and there, everyone would be spending their holidays with family. Considering what had been happening since the end of his fifth year in regards to Voldemort and the ongoing war, he couldn't blame them. It's where he would be if he had any surviving family.

Dumbledore had almost insisted he spend his time in reconciliation with his friends, but Harry knew it was for the best that he distance himself and did so at every available turn for the last six months. He turned away from them and the teachers of Hogwarts. He turned away from the members of the Order of the Phoenix in their attempt to corral their activities at keeping him safe and secure over the summer.

Harry spent all available time walking the streets of Little Whinging, at all hours, to stay away from his aunt, uncle, and cousin, almost daring Voldemort to pop up from the bushes and yell _Avada Kedavra_, just so it would all be over with once and for all.

At first, they would try to convince him to go home, to talk to somebody about his loss, about Sirius' death, about the near death of his friends at the hands of numerous Death Eaters, but he would have nothing of it. They tried pleading. They tried bribery. They tried threats. But nothing would sway him from the path he had chosen.

His only agreement before the beginning of term was to continue with his sixth year at Hogwarts on the condition that he would be left alone, otherwise he would find a way to escape and leave them to their own devices. Dumbledore reluctantly acquiesced in hopes that being surrounded by his friends and other students would eventually work Harry out of whatever he needed to get through.

Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville all tried their best to talk him up either by friendly banter or downright yelling at him, but he ignored them to the best of his abilities, never saying a word in response. In fact the only time they actually heard him speak was to answer questions put to him by Professors regarding schoolwork.

There was no Quidditch. There was no D.A. There were no chess games with Ron, or late night study sessions with Hermione. There was only Harry seeped in his quiet introspection and self imposed misery in front of the fire on the beginning of Christmas Eve.

That is until a loud crack alerted him to the presence of the one individual in all of Hogwarts that respected his decision.

"Harry Potter, Sir. The headmaster requests your appearance in his office, Sir. It is a matter of great importance, he said."

Harry looked at the sad eyes of Dobby the house-elf and nodded. One more look at the fire and he finished off the remains of his bottle, tossing it to the bin beside the armchair. He stood and made his was across the quiet common room and out the portrait hole.

12:13a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Scotland

Headmaster's Office

When he stepped off the revolving steps that led to the headmaster's office Harry noticed the door was open and Albus Dumbledore sat at his desk speaking to someone in the armchair across from him.

"Harry," the headmaster said with an even tone. "Please come in and be seated."

He did as he was told and said nothing in between. The person sitting in the armchair beside him was ex-Auror and former member of the Order of the Phoenix, Nymphadora Tonks. She was dressed, neck to toe, in black. Even the shade of her skin was considerably darker and her hair was as black as Harry's.

He gave her a look over and saw her staring back at him with a nondescript look on her face.

"Harry, Miss Tonks has come to us with disturbing news this night."

Harry blinked and said nothing. He had known Dumbledore well enough to know he would either tell him what the news was, or hide it from him, tauntingly, as he did every other time in his life. So he waited.

"Still being stoic boy, are we, Harry?" baited Tonks.

Harry ignored the bitter jibe as he had all the others from everyone close to him for the last six months; instead, he chose to stare at Dumbledore.

"Miss Tonks, in her quest to hunt down the Death Eater responsible for the death of your godfather, has learned of a plot to murder twenty-four people over the next twenty-four hours."

While this peaked Harry's interest he did not let it show on his face.

"One will die at the stroke of each hour until either they are stopped or everyone is dead."

Harry blinked and exhaled slightly.

Tonks leaned into the side of his face, so close that he could feel her breath. "Are you listening, Harry, or do you just not care?"

He turned his face to his accuser. "People die," he said dryly.

Her eyes narrowed and a small condescending smile came to her face. "Interested in knowing who?" She held up a sheet of parchment. "Got all the names right here."

He looked down at the parchment and back up to her face, then to Dumbledore's. He blinked once more and stood up to leave. As he did, the door closed and locked itself. Harry already had experience with Dumbledore's will-to-be-heard from last June and knew that he was trapped until he either heard them or waited them out. He chose to wait it out and returned to his chair, turning it to face the green flames of the fire.

"Harry," Dumbledore said. "Your name is on the list."

His eyes lit to the colorful phoenix that perched on a stand behind Dumbledore's desk. "What time?"

"Twelve a.m.," answered Tonks. "You're the last one."

Harry nodded with finality. "Good. Then it's all over with."

Dumbledore's face went grim. "We do not have time to bandy words or smother ourselves in your misery, Harry. I am asking you to help save the remainder of the people on that list."

Harry turned to him. "Like I told you during the summer, _Sir_, I'm done with the saving-people-thing. Isn't that what all of you wanted in the first place ... for me to sit idly by until I'm graduated, then throw me at Voldemort, and hope for the best?"

Neither Tonks nor Dumbledore said anything.

"Oops, I guess someone's going to mess up your schedule."

Dumbledore set aside the accusation. "All of your friends are on the list as well, Harry."

He searched Dumbledore's face for any sign of deceit, not that he would ever find any, and then turned to Tonks, grabbing the list from her hand. His eyes trailed down the names, finding anybody he ever cared for, ending with Ron and Hermione just before his own name.

_01:00 Justin Finch-Fletchley_

_02:00 Terry Boot_

_03:00 Anthony Goldstein _

_04:00 Ernie Macmillan_

_05:00 Hannah Abbott_

_06:00 Susan Bones_

_07:00 Parvati Patil_

_08:00 Cho Chang_

_09:00 Minerva McGonagall_

_10:00 Nymphadora Tonks_

_11:00 Alastor Moody_

_12:00 p.m. Rubeus Hagrid_

_01:00 Luna Lovegood_

_02:00 Neville Longbottom_

_03:00 Arthur Weasley_

_04:00 Molly Weasley_

_05:00 George Weasley_

_06:00 Fred Weasley_

_07:00 Ginny Weasley_

_08:00 Remus Lupin_

_09:00 Albus Dumbledore_

_10:00 Ron Weasley_

_11:00 Hermione Granger_

_12:00 a.m. Harry Potter_

It didn't work ... nothing he ever did ever worked. Six months of turning away from everything that made him happy resulted in a death sentence for everyone that made his life worth living. He was sure if Malfoy reported to his Death Eater cronies that he had broken all ties with the people closest to him then they would be left alone, that they would only come after him. But it didn't work.

Now their lives were in danger and they hated him. _Could my life get any worse_?

"We don't have time to waste," said Tonks. "Are you with us or not?"

Harry's face screwed up with anger. "I'm with you."

"Great," she said with some relief. "Now we know why certain members were chosen, but what's up with the first eight?"

He scanned the names. "Shouldn't we get these people to safety?"

Dumbledore nodded. "They are being gathered as we speak, and taken to a single location for their protection, Harry." He looked at Tonks. "Do you know about the first eight on the list?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "The first six were in the D.A. last year and stopped Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle from attacking me on the train from Hogwarts."

Dumbledore smiled, briefly. "That would explain their condition when they arrived at Kings Cross. And the other two?"

"Parvati went to the Yule Ball with me in fourth year and Cho and I were ... I don't know what we were, last year. I escorted her to Hogsmeade one time and she was in D.A. We liked each other for a while. I guess that makes her good enough to make the list."

Dumbledore nodded. "The rest are self-explanatory."

"What about Tonks? They shouldn't know about her."

She grimaced. "I was at Kings Cross when we threatened your Muggles. We must have been seen by Narcissa Malfoy or something."

An idea came to Harry. "Get Malfoy. He's bound to know what they're planning. A little Veritaserum and he should be spilling his guts."

"Mr. Malfoy has turned up missing from his home along with his mother," said Dumbledore.

A small whoosh of flames and Harry noticed Remus Lupin's face appear in the fireplace. "Albus, we've accounted for all but two people on the list."

A look of concern covered Dumbledore's face. "Who?"

"Hannah Abbott and Cho Chang."

"Very well. Try your best to locate them, Remus."

Harry moved so Remus could see him better. "Ask Ernie Macmillan. He might know about Hannah."

Remus turned his head. "Hello, Harry. Talking to us again, I see."

A scowl found it way onto Harry's face. "It's an emergency."

The head-shaped flame nodded. "Yes it is. We'll be sending the children through first, Albus."

With that, Remus disappeared.

"They're coming here?" asked Harry.

"Can you think of a safer place?" asked Tonks.

"Harry, would you mind returning to Gryffindor Tower and bring back that wonderful map of yours? I am sure Alastor would feel much more comfortable knowing who is wandering the halls of Hogwarts."

Harry nodded. "Sure."

"Tonks, go with him."

She looked at the headmaster. "I'm not yours to order around anymore, Dumbledore."

His eyebrows lifted slightly. "How thoughtless of me. Tonks, if you aren't doing anything for the next twenty or so minuets ..."

"Oh, shut it. I'll go."

"I don't need an escort," Harry complained.

She stood with him. "Yes you do, you're marked for death, just like everyone in this room."

12:37 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Scotland

Gryffindor Tower Boys Dormitory

"You might want to change into something dark. Makes it harder for the bad guys to see you," suggested Tonks as they entered the room.

Harry didn't think twice about pulling off his plain white t-shirt and tossing it on his bed before he pulled a black one out of a drawer and slipped it over his head. His jeans were already black as well as the trainers he was currently wearing. A quick search through his trunk resulted in the Marauders Map, which Harry activated immediately.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Tonks tiptoed and looked over his shoulder. "Cor blimey, Harry! Everyone's on that bit of parchment."

He nodded. "Just making sure the coast is clear before we move on."

"Looks like Dumbledore's got them in the Great Hall in time. We better get going before he locks the doors."

He looked back down at his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak. "This might come in useful."

Harry dumped the contents of his school bag in the trunk and stuffed the cloak inside along with a few other items along with a winter cloak then they rushed out.

12:55 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Great Hall

The two of them jumped the last few steps off of the marble staircase and turned to see Mad Eye Moody standing at the doors to the Great Hall with a cross look on his face.

"Took you two long enough," he growled. "Thought we'd have to lock you out."

Tonks brushed passed him as his magical eye seemed to be going crazy trying to look in all directions at once. "Oh, shut up you bloody tosser."

When Harry entered the Great Hall he noticed all eyes were on him, and they were not very happy at the moment. He steeled himself and turned back around to Moody. "Here," he said while pulling the Marauders map out and handed it to him. "Dumbledore said you might like to borrow this."

Harry watched Moody's good eye centered on the map and then his magical eye followed and stopped. "Indeed I might, boy."

"Don't call me boy," Harry responded.

Moody's head moved up and he centered his good eye on Harry while his other resumed its spinning. "Feeling a little cocky now that you're back in the game again, Potter?"

Harry reached for the old parchment. "If you don't want the map I can always take it back."

Moody snapped it away, grinning, which stretched his scarred face. "I'll hold onto it all the same, Potter."

"Fine. Just don't call me boy."

He turned back around to find Hermione standing inches away from him. The look on her face was stern and not at all pleased. He figured out that she was somewhat mad at him when her palm came flashing out and landed square on his face with a resounding smack that echoed once in the vastness of the almost empty Hall.

Harry covered the stinging of his face with his free hand and stared back down at his displeased friend.

"That's for being a prat and ignoring all of your friends for the whole term," she snapped and then slapped him again on the other cheek. "And that's for making me worry that you were going to leave us behind, and do something stupid in the process, for the last six months."

He dropped his school bag as she moved forward and Harry almost jumped back until he realized that she was throwing her arms around him, squeezing the life out of him. "And this is because I love you, you stupid boy. Don't ever do that to us again, or I'll curse you into oblivion," she whispered into his ear.

He saw Ron standing behind her rolling his eyes in semi-disgust. "I'm not hugging you."

"Good," replied Harry, smiling for the first time in almost half a year.

He looked around at the gathered group. They didn't seem as forgiving. Hagrid stood unflinchingly to the side, a few feet away with his heavy crossbow by his side.

"Glad to be rid of us, Potter?"

Harry swiveled to the opposite side where Ernie Macmillan stood with clenched fists. "What?"

"They told us it was because we helped you on the train last year, cursing Malfoy. Now Hannah and Cho get to die because the professors couldn't find them in time."

He looked around and saw that it was true. Two of the list were missing and most likely will be dead come breakfast. "Don't be stupid. They'll find them in time."

Ernie stepped closer and pushed Harry back a few steps. "It's your fault, Potter."

"That will be enough, Mr. Macmillan," said Dumbledore. "It is almost time."

Justin Finch-Fletchley stood nervous, next to Dumbledore as he was first on the list, and couldn't think of a safer place on the face of the planet. The headmaster looked at his twelve-handed watch and his eyes came up at the stroke of one o'clock. Everyone looked around and saw that a thousand Death Eaters did not drop from the sky and kill Justin with Unforgivable Curses. Then with a collective sigh they relaxed.

"I see our precautions have prevented Justin's death. Minerva, if you and Remus would be so kind as to continue your search for Miss Chang and Miss Abbott I would be most appreciative."

The tense feeling dropped out of Harry's shoulders and he also sighed with some relief. That was until Ernie Macmillan gave him one final shove before storming off. He stumbled and tried to regain his footing, but not before staggering headlong into Hagrid who tried his best to catch him.

The loud twang of the heavy crossbow sang throughout the Great Hall as the bolt flew from the inset where it had rested in preparation of battle. The bolt whizzed through the air narrowly missing several students who instinctively stopped in response ... all except for Justin Finch-Fletchley who didn't even have time to scream before he received the business end through the left side of his mouth that he had opened in horror. The pointed end drove out of the back of his head splattering Dumbledore with a mixture of gray gore and blood across his violet robes.

Justin fell on his knees to the ground, his eyes closed and opened in a violent spasm before rolling up into his head. They all watched as his dead body fell limply to the floor, and blood, so dark it was almost black, pooled around his head.

The stunned horror of the scene was over and reality set in to all of the occupants of the Great Hall. Susan Bones was the first to utter a high-pitched scream followed thereafter by almost all of the students.

Harry's eyes lit upon the headmaster who looked at his watch once more to see the many arms complete their movement to 1:01 a.m.


	2. Terry Boot

Chapter Two

Terry Boot

01:03 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Great Hall

Mad Eye Moody levitated the body to the Hospital Wing escorted by Hagrid who was in no shape to do much more. With further encouragement by Dumbledore, Remus and McGonagall left the school to continue their search for the two missing girls.

Arthur and Molly Weasley tried their best to comfort the students while Dumbledore sat at the Gryffindor table appearing in deep thought. Ernie Macmillan had taken a position in one corner of the Great Hall with his back to the wall, whimpering to himself and rebuffed any attempt of consolation.

Harry, having witnessed someone even closer to him die, was not as affected as his friends were and was able to think somewhat clearly. "Tonks," he said to the ex-Auror, and with a nod of his head he indicated an empty portion of the Hall where they could talk in private.

He laid his hand on Hermione's shoulder as she cried into the chest of his, once again, best friend. He was going to say something reassuring, but Ron shook his head. "Go on. I'll watch her."

He nodded and followed Tonks to one side.

"How did you get the list?" he asked.

Her face betrayed no emotion. "I was following an informant of mine because I thought he was turning sides. Seems I was right. We wound up in Knockturn Alley, and I saw with whom he was meeting. It was Bellatrix Lestrange and Pettigrew."

"Wormtail?"

She nodded. "I overheard them talking about the list after the informant left."

There was something she wasn't telling. "What did they do, recite the whole list for you or something? How did you get it?"

She looked over his shoulder to see that nobody was near. "I killed Pettigrew for it, Harry. Lestrange Apparated away before I had a chance to get to her as well."

Harry was taken by surprise at first. "Wormtail is dead?"

She wiped at her mouth, her hand dragging over her chin. "If we make it through today, I'll make sure his body's found. Sirius's name'll be cleared at least."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Any idea how they managed to kill Justin?"

Her brows furrowed. "Don't know if you caught the floorshow, Harry, but that ass Macmillan killed Justin."

Harry shook his head. "No ... he didn't."

"Taken a bit of the barmy, Harry? He pushed you into Hagrid. It was an accident, but it's his fault all the same."

Her eyes snapped up behind his shoulder and Harry swiveled around to find Dumbledore standing right there.

"You do not believe it was by happenchance either, Harry?"

"No, Sir. An entire crowd of people around, and that arrow didn't even graze someone. It was meant to happen at one o'clock and it happened." His eyes found Terry Boot. "And if we don't figure out how to stop this then in less than an hour, Terry will be next."

Dumbledore nodded. "Use the Floo in my office."

Harry blinked. "For what."

Tonks grabbed his arm. "Were leaving right now to find Bellatrix Lestrange."

He grabbed his school bag on the way out looking dismally at Hermione shivering in Ron's arms. "Take care of her, Ron."

He nodded in response.

01:13 a.m.

London

Knockturn Alley

Harry stopped briefly to pull on his winter cloak and catch his breath. The frigid chill in the air cut through his t-shirt like it wasn't even there. Tonks led the way down the quiet thin street to the storefront of Borgin & Burkes. She paused only long enough to lean back and kick in the door.

Wands drawn they moved swiftly through to the rear of the store. Tonks stopped in front of large cabinet and drew a fiery ruin across the front. Once it was complete the body of Peter Pettigrew fell out of the open doors. Harry didn't miss a beat and pulled back his own leg and slammed his foot in the side of the corpse's head.

Tonks didn't even flinch, but she did make sure he was done before she knelt by the body.

"Get it all out there, Harry?"

He felt the bile rise to the back of his throat and turned his head letting acrid spittle fly to the floor. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand he shook his head. "Not even close."

"Check the shop out. See if you can find out anything. She left through the back."

"_Lumos_!"

Harry's wand-tip flared to light the way through the dark. He kept his eyes to the floor in hopes of finding something that the evil bitch might have dropped in her escape, but after a few minutes turned up nothing.

"Harry."

"Did you find anything?"

She held up a scrap of paper that Harry recognized as a receipt. "I think it's from a hotel. I recognize it from coming through the entrance to the Caldron. It's right down the street. Come on."

They made their way through the back Tonks pulled her wand. "_Locomotor Cadaver_!"

"What are you doing?" asked Harry.

"I'm leaving him in the middle of Diagon Alley. That way the shopkeepers will find him in the morning."

The glint of Wormtail's silver hand caught Harry's eye. "Hold on."

He turned around in place and looked until he found something that would do. It was in a glass case near the counter. "_Reducto_!" The glass shattered and blew inward. He reached in and withdrew a good size ornate axe.

"Harry?" Tonks said warily.

"Put him down."

She looked at him with questioning eyes.

"He bought that hand with my blood. I want it back."

Harry kicked his arm so that it was moved away from the body, and reared the axe back. Tonks closed her eyes; it seemed that there were some things that she just didn't want to see. With a definitive thud the deed was done and Harry picked up his bounty.

Tonks repeated the incantation to pull along Pettigrew's body along. They left him in front of Gringotts before they started out at a dash to the Leaky Caldron.

"What do you think we'll find?" asked Harry.

"Don't have a clue. Pettigrew wasn't dead before Lestrange left. She might be there waiting for him, or maybe we'll find something that will lead us a step further. I just don't know."

01:25 a.m.

London

The Silver Stag Hotel

"I'm sorry, we're not allowed to release that sort information, ma'am."

Tonks leaned onto the counter while Harry kept a look out around the seedy lobby. They were completely alone. Harry performed a Locking Charm on the front doors and closed on the counter to provide a little more intimidation.

"People's lives are on the line you wanker." She reached out and grabbed his shirt pulling him forward. "I'm gonna have ta hurt you if you don't tell me."

The guy looked like he didn't care so Harry did the only thing he could think of and pulled the axe out from under his cloak, swinging it in a high arc and let it fall as close as he dared to the man's head. The blood, still wet on the sharpened edge, seemed to catch the clerk's attention.

"Is that ..."

Harry adjusted his glasses. "Mister, I just cut off a man's hand about three minutes ago. Him I hated ... you I don't even know. What makes you think I would care?"

He looked at Harry's eyes and found them dead green then back to Tonks where she was just smiling.

"Room number?"

"Nine."

"_Obliviate_!"

The night clerk's eyes glazed over and Harry pulled the axe free slipped it back under the cloak looking around once more. A few moments later they were upstairs and they were in front of number nine.

"Ready, Harry?"

Six months ago Bellatrix Lestrange said that righteous anger wasn't enough to fuel the power of the Cruciatus Curse. Harry had just spent the better part of his life taking abuse in one form or another from his estranged relatives, from a sadistic potions professor, from insane Death Eaters, and a from one of the most powerful Wizards of all time. His parents had been killed in an attempt to protect him. His godfather gave up his life trying to protect him. He just spent the last six months shutting himself off from every kind thought and every person that thought anything good about him to protect _them_. Was he ready?

He gripped his wand in one hand and the ornate axe in the other. "Hell yes."

"_Alohomora_!" Tonks yelled as she kicked at the door.

The door slammed open Harry was about to step forward, but was pulled back at the last second, narrowly escaping a bright green flash of light.

A voice yelled from inside the room. The door was already destroyed.

"Where is she?" said Harry

"Come out, come out, wee baby Potter. Are you angry enough yet?"

He recognized the voice grating on his nerves, taunting him with the impotence of his actions last June in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic.

"Why don't you come out here and we'll see if you can take me, Lestrange. Voldemort tried last June, and he still wasn't strong enough."

Tonks eyes widened. "Harry, would you please not bait the psychotic freakazoid with the wand and the pension for Unforgivable Curses," she whispered.

"That will be the last time you take my lord's name in vain. You're going to die screaming today, baby Potter."

"Can you see her?"

Tonks risked taking a quick look and another green jet of light took off half the doorjamb.

"Middle of the room. The Fuckwit is just standing there. She's mental."

"Little Potty sitting in the grass, sticking a lolly up his ..."

Harry whipped the axe around the doorway and followed right behind. Lestrange had to duck out of the way to avoid being shaved far too close. She shrieked and he let loose with his own curse. "_Tremulare_!"

Her wand was the first thing to go flying as she began to violently shake, dropping to the floor, unable to stop the convulsions. The two of them dashed into the room, and he retrieved the axe while Tonks snapped her wand in several pieces.

The look on Lestrange's face was grim and determined as she flopped around on the floor and Harry looked down upon her. "I can kill you fast or slow, your choice."

She grinned, but that went away with a spasm that snapped her jaw shut.

"Slow it is, then," he said, pocketing his wand and taking a better grip on the axe. "The hands first, I think. Tonks?"

The ex-Auror looked at him like she was trying to tell if he was serious.

"Don't have the ... nerve," Lestrange spat in between convulsions.

Harry reached into his cloak and withdrew Pettigrew's silver hand, showing it to her. "I'm collecting them tonight. Been thinking about setting them on my windowsill at home."

For the first time since he had first met Bellatrix Lestrange he saw fear in her eyes.

"Please ..." she couldn't get anymore out before strong spasms wracked her body.

"Please cut off your hands? Okay."

Tonks held her own out. "Harry, no. You can't."

He looked at his watch. "Tonks, in twenty-seven minutes Terry Boot is going to die unless we get an answer out of _this_. Any suggestions?"

She looked torn.

"Dammit, Tonks, she killed Sirius! I thought that was the whole reason you left the Ministry."

She winced. "It was. But this, Harry?"

His anger was at its peak. "Either this or the Cruciatus, your choice."

Her eyes widened. "I can't."

Grunt after grunt came from below. "Fine. I guess we're in agreement, then."

Harry took advantage of Lestrange's arm flopping around and stepped on it, swinging the Axe in a wide arc."

"NOOOOoo!"

The axe thudded into the wood of the floor an inch from severing her arm at the wrist. It had cut deep, but not through the bone, and Lestrange screamed.

"How do we stop it!" yelled Harry.

"You cannot stop it, Potter." A familiar high and cold voice echoed throughout the room.

Tonks turned to the doorway. "Bloody Hell!" She stumbled backward and fell to the floor scrambling away as quick as she could.

"Master!" screamed Lestrange.

"This is the last time you fail me, Bella," Voldemort hissed.

Harry jerked the axe up with his left hand and withdrew his wand with the right."

"_Accio Axe_!" said Voldemort, almost board.

The axe flew out of Harry's hand, but that was exactly what he was hoping. "_Avada Kedavra_!"

A jet of green light shot forth from Harry's wand, but missed Voldemort's head by a scant inch, singeing his snake-like skin as it passed. A high yell pierced the air and the black-cloaked figure dodged to the side out into the hall.

"Damn!" cursed Harry. His eyes didn't leave the doorway. "Don't let her escape, Tonks!"

He edged along the wall, not wanting to make a target of himself and noticed out of the corner of his eye the couch flipping over and out of sight. Tonks was preparing a makeshift barrier to fight behind if needed. That suited him fine.

"Afraid to come out and fight like a snake, Voldemort?"

"Your taunts are useless against me, Potter; tonight you die, I know it and you know it. Soon I will rule."

Harry's nose flared at a sudden intake of heated breath. "I've beaten you again and again, Tommy-boy. What makes you think this time will be any different?"

A high cackling laughter echoed in the hallway. "Let us say that I have taken out an insurance policy on today's events and I am sure you are keeping it in trust for me."

He took a split second to glance at his watch. Harry knew he needed more to go on.

"Getting bored here, Tom. Why don't you come out from the hall and we'll duel. You'll finally get to see if your Killing Curse is better than mine."

"You've come a long way, Potter," Voldemort hissed. "Using Unforgivables now? Tut tut. What would Dumbledore say?" He paused. "No matter, but if you don't mind I'd rather not have another encounter with that wand core of yours while your dead friend in there stabs me in the back. So I think I'll go now."

A loud crack filled the air, as Harry immediately knew Voldemort had Disapparated away.

"Damn!"

He checked the hall to make sure the coast was clear and retrieved the axe.

"That was him!" cried Tonks.

With grim determination he returned to the convulsing and bleeding body of Bellatrix Lestrange. She was trying her best to clamp down on the grievous wound Harry had inflicted on her wrist, but with each spasm she whimpered more and more.

"Nineteen minutes and counting. Up to losing that hand yet?"

"That was Voldemort ..." gasped Tonks as she still stared at the empty doorway.

"You get used to it after the fourth or fifth time you see him. He's gone, relax."

He turned his attention back to Lestrange. "How do we stop it?" he demanded.

Through tears of pain she smiled. "Die Baby Potty. You're ... all going to die"

Harry screwed up his face and screamed senselessly at nothing rearing back with the axe and planting it deep into her chest with one strong swing.

He was still screaming when he fell to his knees beside the body and pulled his left hand back to slam it into her face. And again. And again.

"Harry, stop!" yelled Tonks and she tried to pull him away.

He pushed back and swiveled in place. "Can't you see! IT'S ALL MY FAULT! THEY'RE ALL GOING TO DIE BECAUSE OF ME!

Tonks ignored him and stood, pulling him to his feet. "We have to get back to Hogwarts and tell Dumbledore about Voldemort. Maybe he's already figured out a way to stop it."

01:57 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Scotland

The Great Hall

Harry was feeling the night wear on him as they slowed the last few feet in front of the Great Hall. His left hand was throbbing and even with in the cold air between the Silver Stag and the Leaky Caldron, sweat was coursing down his face.

Mad Eye Moody was still guarding the door and let them in as they approached. They were greeted with grim stares as they entered the Hall. Hermione and Ron were the closest to the doors and approached, looking wearily at the blood stained axe Harry was holding, and the condition he was in.

"Harry, are you okay?" asked a very worried and red-eyed Hermione.

He nodded and watched as Tonks went over to fill Dumbledore in. "It's Voldemort."

Ron winced and then nodded. "We figured. What happened?"

"Wormtail is dead. Lestrange is dead."

Both his friend's eyes moved to the axe.

"I only killed Lestrange."

"_Protego_!" someone yelled.

"Terry, no!" Dumbledore roared.

Shrieks rang out in the Hall, but Harry couldn't see what was happening with everyone in the way.

"Quick, everyone! Attack him with harmless spells," Dumbledore said. "We have to break down his shield."

Harry pushed his way through to see and help if he could. Terry Boot was standing there incased in his protective shield grasping at his neck, his face turning red. He pulled his wand and used every non-threatening jinx he could think of along with all the others, but he could see it was useless and watched as the minutes passed and Terry Boot suffocated by his own shield charm.

His axe dropped to the floor along with Boot's body and the final failing of the charm. Raising his arm to see his watch he closed his eyes.

2:01 a.m.


	3. Anthony Goldstein

Chapter Three

Anthony Goldstein

Edited: 12/26/07

02:01 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Scotland

The Great Hall

The death of Terry Boot wasn't observed with shrieks of startled students but with sobs of impending doom. Dumbledore kneeled with his fingers pressed against the neck of this hour's victim with a sad mask of inevitability on his face.

For this occurrence, Madame Pomfrey was close on hand and all but pushed the headmaster out of the way in a vain attempt to revive the fallen Ravenclaw. Harry watched Ron cradling the quietly sobbing figure of Hermione Granger.

An ever-increasing feeling of inadequacy and impotence fueled Harry's anger as by some unknown dark magic, Voldemort was rapidly whittling away at the closest people that he could ever consider friends. Dispossessing him of any happiness in his life; almost as if it was his goal to push Harry over the edge and into the brink of insanity before the ordeal was concluded.

The only thing Harry was sure of was his anger and the consistent stoking at the fire within to continue on his rampage to find and destroy Voldemort.

He spun around and closed in on Dumbledore and Tonks as she was filling the headmaster in on what had happened at Knockturn Alley.

He interrupted. "We don't have time for this. Just give him the facts."

Tonks looked at Harry with something akin to a bad taste in her mouth. "Fine." She turned back to Dumbledore. "We went to Knockturn Alley and searched Pettigrew, found a hotel receipt and Harry stole that axe he's carrying and cut off Pettigrew's silver hand for some sort of twisted memento."

Dumbledore looked down at the blood stained axe blade and stopped drawing breath. When their eyes met, Harry knew Dumbledore would fall into his swiftly cooling green eyes that had seen far too much horror in their short sixteen years of existence.

"We went to the hotel and found Bellatrix Lestrange waiting for Pettigrew. Harry almost cut off her hand while torturing her for information and we were interrupted by Voldemort."

Harry stood there, cold as the castle walls in late January, watching Dumbledore's eyes on him ... judging him, and yet filling with compassion and pity that Harry had long since rejected.

"Harry was able to drive him away by use of the Killing Curse, but missed. They taunted each other and Voldemort left. Then Harry made ground beef out of Lestrange's chest and face in response."

The headmaster was first to break eye contact and Harry watched as his eyes trailed down to the obvious bloodstains on his cloak and hands.

Tonks looked finished when Harry took over the narrative. "Voldemort wouldn't fight me."

Dumbledore's eyes snapped back on his face.

"He said he'd taken out an insurance policy on today's events, whatever that meant."

"Curious," Dumbledore muttered. "Those were his exact words: An insurance policy on today's events?"

Harry's eyes narrowed as he nodded briefly and watched as the wheels in Dumbledore's mind ran. "You know something?"

The headmaster interlocked his fingers in front of his chest and pursed his lips in thought. "Perhaps."

He looked up and found someone who he was looking for. "Miss Granger, your assistance is needed."

Harry swiveled his head to find Hermione lifting her own from the comfort of Ron's chest. She wiped at her tear-streaked face as Ron escorted her to the small group.

"Yes, sir?"

"I would like you and Ron to proceed to the Restricted Section of the Library and withdraw a tome by the title of _Diabolistic Dealings of Derrick the Demented_." He watched as Hermione nodded her assent. "Do not open the tome as it is warded with a Shrieking Curse. The password to remove the tome from the Restricted Section is _Farrow's Feather_."

"Yes, sir," she answered.

They turned to leave and Dumbledore added on more direction. "And Miss Granger -- please proceed with all haste. We are under a very stringent time limit."

She nodded and grabbed Ron's hand before she took off at a run.

"You know what this is, don't you -- what Voldemort is doing?" Harry accused the headmaster.

Dumbldore nodded once. "I have an idea, however I have not perused this particular tome since my days as a student here at Hogwarts, and I would not speculate as to my theory until I have had a chance to examine certain passages of the work of which I spoke."

Harry's face set, as he knew Dumbledore wouldn't budge until he got his way; it was one of his more annoying traits. Tonks seemed somewhat put out as well.

"Who the bloody hell is Derrick the Demented?" she asked.

Dumbledore looked down at the floor. "He was once a trusted advisor of Tomas de Torquemada for ten years before the Dominican died from an unknown cause in 1498."

"Torca--who?" asked Harry.

"Surly, Harry, you have heard of the Spanish Inquisition?" The headmaster saw the look of recognition in Harry's eyes. "Tomas de Torquemada was the Grand Inquisitor, the person in charge, so to speak. It was rumored that Derrick the Demented, a dark wizard, guided the brutality of the Inquisition in search of an unattainable power over death.

"It was by his hand that hundreds of so-called heretics were put to horrible torture to further his experiments. In mid September of 1498, Torquemada somehow discovered that Derrick was in fact a wizard. Coincidently Derrick found what he was looking for and it is speculated it was he who killed the Inquisitor in an attempt to escape his own eventual _cleansing_."

Harry looked slightly hopeful. "And you think this is tied into what Voldemort is doing tonight?"

Dumbledore nodded once more. "I will know more, once -- ah, I see they have returned."

Mad Eye Moody held open a door to the Great Hall as the two teenagers dashed through. Hermione, holding a large book cradled in her arms, approached. She sat the tome on the table closest to Dumbledore and he immediately traced several complicated runes on the cover of the large book before opening it approximately three-quarters the way through.

He scanned several pages until he eventually found what he was looking for. A resigned sigh escaped his lips as he closed the tome and sat down.

"Well?" Harry said impatiently.

"It seems that Voldemort has indeed learned how to kill from a distance."

02:13 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry-Scotland

The Great Hall

"This particular ritual was the precursor to what eventually became the current version of the Unforgivable Killing Curse that we are all familiar with. The Ministry and the wizarding public at large were assured that the ritual had gone to the grave along with Derrick." He paused a short moment in reflective thought. "It appears that they were mistaken."

A dull ache of tension found its way across Harry's neck and shoulders. He stretched his head to the side and clenched his teeth. "So now that we know what it is we can stop it, right?"

Ron, Hermione, and Tonks looked on in silent expectation, but Dumbledore sighed. "To do so we must locate and hold Voldemort until we are able to find his so-called insurance policy. It would be a piece of parchment with the incantation along with those of his victims, inscribed in his own blood." He shook his head with resignation. "Of which both events are highly unlikely."

Tonks' face fell into resigned anger. "So we're just supposed to sit around and wait our turn to die?"

Harry's eyes found her face and he breathed out. "No."

"I agree," replied the headmaster. "However, I am at a loss as to how to proceed. To this day we have yet to locate his lair."

Harry clutched his stolen axe. "There are people who know."

Tonks' face brightened slightly. "The Death Eaters at Azkaban. Brilliant, Harry."

"I'm going with you this time," Ron announced.

Harry shook his head. "I need you here, Ron."

The redheaded young man scowled. "To do what? The more of us out there the better."

He looked to Dumbledore for support, but found only a stone face in return.

"Ron, I've got to do things that aren't exactly ..."

"Legal? Moral?" Ron shot back as he looked down at the bloodied axe.

The tension at Harry's neck increased. "Fine, Ron, we don't have time to argue. Come on and be a monster with me. Maybe you'll find it liberating."

Harry turned away from his friend. "We'll need a portkey, Professor."

02:23 a.m.

The North Sea

Azkaban Fortress

A cold wind tore through their cloaks as they appeared on the rocky shores of the solitary island that hid Azkaban Prison from the rest of the world. The feeling of dread that Harry was expecting was missing from the area. Then it came to him that there were no Dementors left to guard the prisoners within the high walls of the Fortress, only wizard guards.

Tonks led the way with Harry and Ron trailing behind. She was the only one of the three that had ever been on the island due to her tenure as an Auror for the Ministry of Magic.

"Let me do the talking," she warned as they neared the gates.

A solitary guardhouse with a lone occupant stood about ten feet in front of the main gates. Tonks stepped up as Harry and Ron stayed behind at a signal from her hand. Words were exchanged and Harry saw the guard's eyes widen slightly and turn to him to get a better look.

Tonks turned and nodded at Harry whereupon he pulled back his hood and lifted his bangs away to show off the lightening-bolt scar he had carried for the last fifteen years.

The guard visibly swallowed and raised his wand to the gates.

They were led through the muddy main yard to a small building that Tonks explained was for visitors and interviews. It was solitary enough to complete the job they came to do, and Tonks assured him that they would not be disturbed.

The first person that was brought from his cell was the one that Harry had sworn to revenge himself upon at his earliest convenience: Antonin Dolohov.

They had arranged to have another prisoner held just outside at Harry's insistence. He looked at his watch and counted down the precious minutes until the death of Anthony Goldstein. He knew if they had a chance at all of getting any information they had to be quick.

Dolohov was escorted in and seated in a chair reminiscent of the chain-chair on the tenth floor courtroom of the Ministry of Magic. As soon as he was sat down chains wrapped themselves around his body holding him securely.

Harry turned to Ron. "Last chance to leave, mate. This is going to get messy."

Ron grimaced. "Get on with it already."

Harry looked over at Tonks in the corner holding her wand aloft, ready for any trickery that Dolohov was infamous for. He turned back to the prisoner and ignored the state of his clothes or the smell of his unwashed body.

Dolohov smirked evilly. "I see my master has accomplished the first of his desires."

Harry ignored him. "One chance only, Dolohov."

The secured prisoner almost laughed. "Or what? I'll be put in prison for life?"

Harry's face was unmoved as he removed what he was holding under his cloak and tossed it on the table only a scant few inches away from the reproachful Death Eater.

Dolohov's eyes narrowed at the sight of the severed hand of Peter Pettigrew.

"Recognize it?"

"Looks like someone is in desperate need of a hand," Dolohov joked acidly.

"That would be Wormtail. And I was a little rushed with Bellatrix Lestrange, so I didn't get a chance to take hers, but I do have time for yours."

Dolohov's face hardened. "You lie. Bella would have killed you."

Harry hefted the axe and showed off the bloodstains. "That's hers on top as well as on my hands. Killed her about an hour ago." Harry inhaled sweetly and smiled. "I never knew how good it could feel ... someone else's life in my hands ... someone else's blood ..."

He moved slowly to the right of the chair lifting the axe and laid the blade softly on the forearm of his captive. He sighed with pleasure. "One chance, Dolohov. Where is he?"

Semi-frightened eyes traveled from the blade to Harry's face and saw the resolution sketched there. "I ... I don't ..."

Harry didn't even pause. "That's not the answer I was looking for."

His left hand came up to support the axe as he raised it and brought it down upon the arm of the now screaming captive.

"Bloody Hell, Harry!" Ron yelled before he turned around and emptied his stomach on the floor of the room.

"Next!" Harry yelled over the screaming of his prisoner.

02:37 a.m.

The North Sea

Azkaban Fortress

"Learned some new tricks, have we, Potter?" A high-toned voice drawled from the newest prisoner brought into the interview room.

Harry waited until Lucius Malfoy was strapped into the chair. He picked up the fallen limb of Antonin Dolohov and placed it upon the table beside that of Pettigrew's and watched as Malfoy followed his movements.

"No banter today, Malfoy. I'm on a schedule."

He twirled the axe in his hand. "Just one question. Answer it and you get to keep all of your limbs. Don't and I quarter you right here and make sure you live to enjoy the pain."

The acrid stink of Ron's vomit hung in the air along with the remnants of Dolohov's brief visit before they took him away screaming. Sweat broke out on the forehead of the elder Malfoy. His cold demeanor was held stiff, but in an unconvincing way.

"You can do nothing to me that the Dark Lord couldn't do a thousand times worse, Potter. So take your new toy and run along."

Harry blinked slowly. "Where is he, Malfoy?"

No answer was forthcoming and he sighed deeply before raising his axe.

"Wait!" Ron yelled.

Harry looked over his shoulder. "Want to have a go, Ron?"

The youngest Weasley male swallowed the bile once again rising in his throat. "We'll guarantee Draco's safety."

02:52 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

The Great Hall

"He's at Godric's Hollow!" Harry yelled as soon as their return portkey landed them at Dumbledore's feet. "In the house that replaced my parent's."

Dumbldore looked almost triumphant. "Alastor, Arthur, Harry, quickly."

The headmaster created another portkey and the four of them grabbed a hold along with Tonks. The street in front of the old Potter estate was dark as pitch except for a flickering light coming from the window of a large house that Harry was unfamiliar with.

He watched as Dumbledore cast an anti-Apparation Jinx over the area and they moved forward.

Mad Eye grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him around the back of the house as Dumbledore, Tonks, and Mr. Weasley took the front entrance.

"Is there anyone inside?" Harry whispered as he watched Moody's magical eye scan the house.

Moody growled. "He's set up some sort of barrier that shields the inside from my eye."

He held up his wand. "Ready, Potter?"

Harry nodded.

"_Explodere_!" Moody yelled.

They both watched as the back door exploded into a thousand splinters. Harry pushed past him before the dust settled.

"Wait, you impudent boy," Moody hissed.

"Tommy boy!" Harry called out. "I'm here to kill you."

There wasn't a sound to be heard, no running footfalls, no cries of anger, no magical bolts of light, only silence.

"He is not here, Harry," Dumbledore said as his figure appeared in one of the many hallways.

"Dumbledore, put a leash on your student." Moody called out from behind Harry. "He could have been killed running in here like that."

"He's got to be here!" Harry cried. "Did you try upstairs?" he asked angrily before setting off up the closest staircase.

"Harry!"

"Let him go, Nymphadora; there is nobody here," the headmaster said in defeat. "I must return to Hogwarts and watch as another of my students is claimed."

They were out of earshot before Harry made it to the top of the stairs, throwing open each door as he went past. Heat built up in his face by the time he reached the last door. Rage filled his chest and he let loose a yell of anguish as he opened the door.

"Where are you!" he yelled at nobody.

He had dropped to his knees when he first heard the noise of metal against metal. Yells were heard from downstairs, but he couldn't tell what they were saying. Footsteps were taken upon the stairs and the face of Tonks appeared at the top.

"Harry!"

He ran to meet her in the middle.

"It's a trap!" she almost yelled in his face when he saw a look of fear in her eyes as she looked over his shoulder.

Harry ducked and slammed himself into her midsection, pushing her into one of the rooms and kicked the door closed after they landed on the floor.

"_Colloportus_!"

She pushed out from under him.

"Who's out there?" gasped Harry.

"It was him!" she shuddered.

"Voldemort?"

She only nodded.

Harry stood and neared the door. "Are you out there, Tommy?"

He followed with, "_Alohomora_!"

His hand gripped the door and he pulled, unsuccessfully.

"_Alohomora_!" he tried again.

The door was still locked.

"Harry it was a trap. We're locked in this house and locked in this room." Her voice quivered. "He's out there Harry."

3:01 p.m.


	4. Ernie Macmillan

Chapter Four

_Ernie Macmillan_

03:01 a.m.

Godric's Hollow, Wales

Upstairs, The Largest Bedroom

"A trap?" Harry replied in disbelief. With his eyes centered on the bedroom door he stood motionless in wait for the next boot to drop.

Tonks snapped out of her less than Auror-like fear of her opponent and stood properly, scanning the room for any obvious exits. Crossing the thick carpeting she first tried the window only to find it sealed firmly by some sort of metal plate that was oblivious to her opening charm, and finally an adjoining room produced a rather large bath and toileting facilities.

Upon her return she watched as Harry seethed in impotent anger at their predicament.

"Dumbledore will come for us, Harry. Just be patient," she offered.

"Dumbledore's a fool. I'm a fool!" He spun on his heel and faced his partner in captivity. "We all deserve to die if we're this stupid!"

Tonks flinched at his words and the close proximity of his face to hers. With a sigh she closed her eyes and reopened them slowly. "None of us deserve to die like this, Harry."

His face screwed up in frustration as he whipped his wand toward the wall near the window. "_Reducto_!"

Sheetrock exploded and wood splintered, but behind the wall was the same metal material that had sealed them in the room, originally.

Tonks looked a little closer. "Must be why Mad Eye couldn't see through the walls."

She tapped the metal with her wand and listened to the lack of echo, indicating the apparent thickness of their trap.

Harry's attention was drawn back to the door. "Why hasn't he come in … taunted us … something?"

Tonks didn't reply right away and stood, considering the question carefully before offering her conclusions. "I don't think it was You-Know-Who."

Harry looked confused and shook his head, his eyes squinting, almost closed. "But you said …"

"I think it was an illusion, Harry … set specifically to force someone into this room and trap them here." She shrugged her shoulders. "What better way to scare the stuffing out of someone than to have that snake-faced horror bearing down on them?"

Harry looked back toward the sealed door and his chest deflated. "So he's not out there," he said matter-of-factly.

Tonks shook her head.

"And we have to wait for Dumbledore to come and rescue us."

She nodded. "I'm going to the loo."

Harry let himself drop to the floor and lean against the footboard of the king-sized bed. His axe lay on the floor beside him. Upon hearing the obvious sounds of Tonks relieving herself he looked over at the door separating the loo from the main bedroom.

Seeing that she had only closed the door halfway he called out, "Don't suppose you'd mind closing the door?"

The return of Tonks' soft laughter sounded odd considering the situation. "I don't fancy being trapped in here all night, thanks all the same."

Harry hadn't considered that possibility. If the main door and the only window in the room were sealed then obviously the door to the loo was suspect.

"At least one of is thinking tonight," he whispered to himself.

"I also didn't think you were one to intrude on the privacy of a girl with her knickers around her ankles … unless there's more to you than I know?" she added with a slight tease in her voice.

The sound of the toilet flushing stopped Harry from answering right away, and then he waited for her to stop washing her hands, but by then the moment had passed and anything he might had said would have sounded childish. If there was one thing he could no longer say about himself, it was that he was no child except in the eyes of the adults around him.

"Tonks?"

A moment later the door opened and she emerged, holding her winter cloak folded over her arm. "Yeah?"

Harry looked at her for a moment and then back down to the stains of dried blood on the silver axe blade.

"Erm ... never mind."

She tossed her cloak over the footboard and sat on one corner of the bed. "Might as well tell me now. Never liked the whole 'waiting until one of us is about to die' to share our darkest secrets." She considered. "Kind of cowardly if you ask me."

Harry frowned. He wasn't going to play her baiting game. He had learned much earlier in the year not to fall for obvious taunts by his friends and teachers into getting him to talk about his feelings and other nonsense. But still, she had a point.

"Fine then … do you see me as a kid?"

She rested her arm on the footboard and leaned into a relaxed posture. "Harry, after tonight I think that's the furthest thought in my mind."

He faced away from her and noticed the bloodied axe once more. "It's because I've killed someone then?"

"Well there is that," she answered. "But that wasn't what I meant."

She saw he wasn't going to respond and added. "Harry, did you get a good look around at the children at Hogwarts while all of this was going on, tonight?"

He looked back up at her and shook his head. "No."

"They were scared out of their collective wits. And half the adults were shaking in their boots." Tonks smiled warmly at him. "But Harry Potter steps up and does something that most people I know wouldn't have the cast irons to do … he goes after the bad guys without so much as a stutter in his step."

He mulled it over for a moment. "And that makes me a grown up?"

She shrugged. "Makes me think high of you."

Harry glowered. "Better than nothing, I reckon."

"Harry, you're not that much younger than me." She smiled softly. "We went to school together, for Merlin's sake."

His eyes shot up at that revelation. "What?"

She smiled sideways as he looked up at her in shock. "I was in my fifth year at Hogwarts when I first saw you get sorted into Gryffindor. It was a sad day for Hufflepuff that day was."

Harry almost laughed when he reared back. "You were a Hufflepuff?"

She nodded. "I was sixteen when I graduated, so that makes you only five years younger than me." She showed a considering look on her face. "Not a whole lot of difference in the grand scheme of things, eh?"

"Five years?" exclaimed Harry.

She nodded once more. "Okay, more like five and a half, but who counts half years after they're out of nappies?"

Muffled explosions sounding from downstairs interrupted their brief calm in the storm.

Harry closed his eyes and let his head drop. "I'm guessing Dumbledore never made it back to Hogwarts."

Tonks rose from the bed and grabbed her cloak, slinging it around her shoulders. "Either that or Mad Eye learned a new spell."

Another, louder and closer, explosion sounded. The floor shook slightly under their feet.

"Move out from in front of the door, Harry. It doesn't sound like the Headmaster is in a good mood."

Harry grabbed his axe and scrambled out of the way while Tonks mirrored his actions from the other side of the door.

Two sharp taps issued forth from the door as if sounding a warning.

"Wait for it," said Tonks expectantly.

Harry covered his ears and closed his eyes a second before the metal door was blasted across the room, destroying the bed and raising a significant amount of dust. Dumbledore stepped through the ruined doorway with a look of fury that Harry had not seen since that almost far away day at the Department of Mysteries.

03:13 a.m.

Godric's Hollow, Wales

Kitchen

"What now?" growled Mad Eye, in a particularly nasty tone.

Dumbledore had calmed considerably, almost looking serine once more. "Neither my plans nor my duty have changed. I must return to Hogwarts and look after my charges."

Tonks frowned at the prospect of returning empty-handed. Her eyes found Harry's and questioned him as to their next move.

"It was a trap, but not a very good one," he observed.

She nodded. "Almost like he only wanted to delay us."

Harry nodded in agreement. "But from what?"

Tonks shrugged her shoulders. "Make us waste our time?"

The thick gravel voice of Mad Eye sounded down the hall. "Are we staying the night or are you two coming down?"

Tonks donned her winter coat and held her hand out to her companion. "Come on -- something'll turn up."

Harry took her hand and let her lead him to the stairway where Tonks took the lead in a casual trot to the lower floor. Their progress came to a stop when Harry noticed Mad Eye standing by the hearth in the formal dining room holding a rolled up scroll.

"Potter," he growled.

Harry moved with determination to the ex-Auror's side. "What's that?"

"A message," Mad Eye replied.

Harry took the scroll and was about to untie the binding before he stopped and sought out Mad-Eye's approval before doing so.

"It's safe," he said as he pointed to the wildly revolving eye. "It registers magical signatures."

Harry nodded and proceeded to find out what was left behind presumably for his eyes.

Harry Potter,

I presume the annoying old man had to save you once again, and once again you have failed to succumb to another of my more ingenious ideas. Did you really think I would stay in this place after the capture of my obviously disloyal followers? The clock is ticking, Potter.

Yours,

V

"Wonderful," Harry spat. "Now he's sending me love letters."

He passed the message to Tonks and she scanned it briefly before she squinted in interest. "Mad Eye, take a look at this."

The aged Auror swiveled his false eye to the parchment and then held it up to the light. "Malfoy."

"What?" Harry almost demanded. "What'd I miss?"

Tonks smiled slyly. "That particular parchment came from the desk of Lucius Malfoy."

Harry shook his head in befuddlement.

"Some of the older pureblood families use parchment from Patry's Parchment Service. It's watermarked," she explained.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "He's at Malfoy Manor?"

"It's probably another trap," she concluded.

Harry shrugged. "Then we burn it down."

"Portus!" Moody incanted at an empty flower vase. "You two go ahead. I'll notify Dumbledore and follow."

Harry and Tonks grabbed onto the Portkey and were whisked away moments later.

03:22

Malfoy Manor – Wiltshire

Adjacent to the yew hedge borders

"We're not waiting for Moody, right?"

Tonks shook her head and started out down the perfectly straight driveway. "Keep your head down and stay behind me."

Harry grimaced at her order but followed along. He scanned the property as they made their way down the drive. It was almost as he imagined it; aloof. Perfectly trimmed grass, ostentatious bushes trimmed and shaped in perfectly shaped blocks … and what was that, a peacock?

As soon as he noticed the bird it screeched loud enough to make him jump to the side away from the creature.

He leveled his wand quickly. "Reducto!" he hissed.

The bird exploded in a shower of white feathers

"Bloody bird," he spat.

Tonks grabbed his arm and pulled him down and to the side. "Quiet!"

Harry nearly voiced his displeasure but instead he slung off his backpack and slid his invisibility cloak out and threw it at Tonks. "I did come prepared unlike some people."

She eyed the cloak and nodded. Holding it out before her between them and the front of the manor she slid the magical fabric over the two of them.

"If you cut me with that axe I'm gonna hex your bits off."

He looked down and noticed the flat of the axe bumping against her leg. "We're wasting time, Tonks."

They hurried as fast as they could under the circumstances and eventually made it under a lit window. "Give me a boost."

With a flourish of his wand Harry was about to levitate his partner when she snapped out her hand and stopped him. "I said a boost. I don't want to go flying ass over teakettle."

Instead Harry set his axe down, holstered his wand and kneeled down interlacing his fingers in invitation for Tonks' foot. He pulled her up a good two feet and watched as she scanned the interior then looked back down.

"Nothing," she whispered.

He dropped her to the ground and they made their way around to the west side of the manor and tried another window. This time as Tonks was looking for life inside another loud squawk sounded from another peacock in the distance.

"Moody's here," said Harry.

A few seconds later he heard something or more to the point someone moving past them in a rapid pace. Tonks grabbed his arm and motioned him to be quiet. She leaned into him and whispered, "Disillusioned."

Harry nodded and watched as Tonks lifted the cloak up and rap Harry atop the head. He felt the now familiar Disillusionment Charm trickling down his body. He watched as she performed the same charm upon herself and then whipped the cloak off them both and shoved it at him.

"We'll have one chance at this," she said. "Come on and get ready with a stunner."

She felt for his arm and then ran her hand along the length until she had his hand in hers. They kept to the shadows and stopped every few feet until they head the sound of footsteps shifting through fallen leaves.

"I'll uncover him you stun him."

Harry nodded his head before he realized there was no way she could see him. "Right."

A soft whisping sound came from his right and Harry watched as something like sparkling dust was shooting in a wide arc in front of him.

When it started to settle the faint outline of an adult body revealed itself about ten feet in front of them. "Stupefy!" Harry cried.

The body dropped and before they took their first step to see who it was a purple jet of light shot toward them from an additional ten feet ahead.

He felt Tonks push him to the side but she wasn't fast enough and he took the curse in his left arm spinning him around and making him drop his axe.

The shot was returned from the former Auror missing wide. Harry cringed in pain as the curse ate away on his arm like acid. "AAarrgghh."

A red stunner appeared from the driveway and the sound of a body dropping followed in front of them.

"Sloppy, Tonks," came the voice of Mad Eye as he appeared from his own disillusioned state. "It's clear now. Help the boy."

Tonks appeared and followed the sound of Harry's pain until she made him visible once more. He was thrashing side to side grasping his arm trying as hard as he could not to sound like a girl as he seethed in pain.

Tonks dropped to her knees and pushed his cloak open and ripped at the shirt revealing the damaged arm. She hissed and pointed her wand at the wound. "Constantar!"

The burning abruptly stopped and Harry watched as Tonks shoved her hand into a thigh pocket and pulled out a field dressing.

"You'll live. Stay still until I get this around the wound."

Harry gasped in relief. "What the bloody hell was that?"

"A Flesh Eater," she replied. "Nasty bit of work."

She applied the dressing and wound it around a few times before tying it off. "There's a poultice on that. It'll heal the skin but you've got yourself one hell of a scar coming."

"What else is new?"

03:47

Malfoy Manor – Wiltshire

Atrium

"Rennervate!" Tonks cast the counter charm and the first of two unknown Death Eaters awoke.

Harry tapped his bandage. "That hurt."

The Death Eater sneered in reaction but said nothing.

"Where's the list?" Tonks snapped.

Again nothing.

"Can you teach me that curse he used on me, Tonks?"

The Death Eater's eyes found Harry's to judge the seriousness in his question.

"It may be a bit beyond sixth year, Harry. Not to mention that it's not exactly the nicest of curses," lightly replied Tonks.

He turned his head and looked at her. "Hence the reason I'd use it on him, or more to the point his bits." He shrugged. "I could always go back to standard." Harry glanced at his axe.

The ex-Auror rolled her eyes. "Why don't you show him the hands?"

"Oh," Harry said in mock surprise. "I almost forgot."

He slipped his backpack off and unzipped the larger section. Harry withdrew Pettigrew's silver hand and set it to the side. "I think we need the real one for this demonstration."

Pulling it out Harry started. "I guess you know where the silver hand came from."

The Death Eater looked down in obvious nervousness and then back up into the hand that was pulling something else out of the bag.

"Now this one was my first real trophy," Harry started. "Took it right off of Dolohov's arm for lying to me."

He let the Death Eater take a good hard look before he tapped him on either side of his face. "Your choice--tell us where the list is or I can continue my collection, or the lovely Miss Tonks here can cast that wonderful curse on tiny here."

Harry emphasized between the Death Eater's legs with the hand. The prisoner tried to scurry away from being touched and whined slightly.

"Come on," Harry said with doubt in his voice. "It's not like this hand hasn't been here before. This time it's just a little colder."

The Death Eater's eyes widened at the implication but they stayed on the hand.

Harry smiled. "Tonks, I don't think he likes my trophy." He considered. "Think I might just shove it down his pants and leave it there for a while; let him think about old times with his buddy."

At that the Death Eater started pushing away to put as much distance between him and the dead flesh. "Downstairs! Downstairs! Behind the tapestry! Pull the sconce down! Don't touch me with that thing!"

Harry swiped his wand across the Death Eater's body. "Petrificus Totalus!"

When the Death Eater went stiff as a board under the full body bind Harry lifted the front of his pants and shoved the severed hand into his underwear. "You keep that warm for me, okay?"

"Moody!" yelled Tonks as she made her way to the indicated tapestry and found the wall sconce.

The clip-clopping of Moody's wooden leg sounded as he turned the corner, glanced down at the bound Death Eater and crooked an eyebrow.

"Check this out for us. I don't really fancy being trapped like a rookie twice in one night."

Moody's mad eye swiveled to the tapestry and swiveled in a downward motion to the floor underneath. "Gotcha," he said in triumph.

He nodded at Tonks and she pulled the sconce downward. A piece of the wall disappeared behind the tapestry and revealed a set of stairs leading down. They proceeded into the hidden room with Tonks in the lead. When Moody took the final step he motioned to the far wall and flicked his wand in silence.

A single stone detached itself and revealed a small alcove.

"Accio!" Tonks said as she summoned the contents to the floor one of which was a sheet of parchment.

Moody crouched down and used the tip of his wand to unfold the paper. On it was a very familiar list of names and even a set of ruins at the bottom.

"Incendio!"

The parchment quickly went up in flames not leaving any ash remaining.

03:59

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Scotland

The Main Hall

The Portkey deposited Harry, Moody, Tonks, and the two captured Death Eaters near the teachers table. Several gasps sounded near the head of the hall as Dumbledore spun around in panicked excitement.

"We did it," said Moody. "The list is destroyed."

Dumbledore sighed and sat down at the Gryffindor table as a tearful Ernie Macmillan sobbed in relief.

"Butterbeer for everyone I think," Dumbledore said reminiscent of his jollier self. He gave a swish of his wand.

"Make mine a Firewhiskey, Dumbledore," Moody said in weariness.

Harry sat down at the teacher's table and laid his head down. A number of students grabbed their drinks and some even hugged one another in joy of being released from the danger for the evening until a coughing sound was heard near the Headmaster.

"Ernie?"

The sound of glass shattering brought Harry's attention to the struggling form of Ernie Macmillan grasping at his throat.

04:01 a.m.


	5. Hannah Abbot

Chapter Five

_Hannah Abbot_

-

04:03 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Scotland

Great Hall

-

-

Harry sat still in his seat at the head table playing the last four hours over and over in his mind. Nothing that he and Tonks had done had made any difference and the students – his friends were quickly dying one after the other. Nothing mattered: his accomplishments in killing Bellatrix Lestrange, facing off Voldemort, or even the death of Wormtail made any difference to the people sitting and standing, trembling in fear of their turn on the wheel of death this night.

He looked over at the pasty white skin of Hannah Abbot, pale with terror knowing she was next, and not even arguably the smartest person in the room knew what to do.

His eyes found Dumbledore next. His head was in his hands as he sat impotent at the foot of the Gryffindor table. Occasionally he would look at the parchment in front of him. Harry could only guess what he was thinking about when he read over the list of names …

"Bugger me," Harry whispered to himself.

He stood up so fast that the chair he was sitting in dropped backward to the floor making enough noise to attract the attention of everyone.

Harry rounded the end of the table and walked with determination to where the headmaster sat.

Dumbledore steeled his eyes on the young man before him and dropped his hands to the table.

"What are you thinking, Harry."

Without pause he began. "I'm thinking that I remembered something else Voldemort said right before I killed Lestrange."

Dumbledore blinked as he remembered. "The insurance policy?"

"Right," Harry acknowledged. "He said something about me holding it in trust for him."

Dumbledore's eyes widened at the implication and then he turned to the parchment on the table as he raised his wand and slashed the air above the list. A moment later his eyes almost sparkled when once invisible ruins revealed themselves. He scanned the ruins briefly and then pointed his wand once more.

"Incendio!" Dumbledore spoke with conviction and the parchment lit afire and consumed itself to a few remaining specks of ash on the table.

"That was it this time?" Harry asked with a little hope in his voice?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I am as certain as I can be without further study. However, the night is not over as of yet."

Harry nodded in understanding. "He can make another."

The headmaster shrugged slightly. "True, but that battle is for another day. Castings of this magnitude require a great amount of energy. I cannot foresee Voldemort being able to perform at this degree for another fortnight at least."

Harry's brow furrowed in confusion. "Then what…"

"There will be a residual effect long after the ruins have been destroyed. We are not entirely safe at the moment."

Harry shook his head in further confusion. "I don't understand."

"Nor should you," Dumbledore replied. "Ruins such as these, once incanted, prevent any further magic to interfere with its intended outcome. For example when Mr. Boot cast his Shield Charm nothing we could do would break through until the curse had run its course."

"So everyone's going to keep dying?"

Dumbledore smiled. "Not at all. The brighter side of this conundrum is that now we have a fighting chance. The castings will be unable to hold in their current power and the more we are able to interfere, as each hour goes by, the less power they will have to work with."

A small amount of positive energy flowed through Harry at that moment. "So we can fight this thing."

"Yes," Dumbledore said with a certain amount of delight. "In addition I think I have another theory that might weaken the castings by an order of magnitude."

"What?"

Dumbledore stood. "First we must evacuate the Great Hall. Arthur, Alastor, Molly, if I might have your assistance?"

The three adults left their charges and approached the table in worried curiosity.

"Harry and I have found and destroyed the list."

Molly let out a heavy breath she had been holding in case of bad news and Arthur whooped. "I knew you'd get it!"

The children's ears perked at the sound of the joyful bellow from Mr. Weasley and they started toward the table as well. Dumbledore stood and addressed the small crowed.

"We have good news," he started. "Harry was able to determine exactly what we needed to do in order to survive the coming day."

Harry looked at the headmaster. Both of his eyebrows rose slightly.

"The greatest danger has passed, however we still need to be on our guard until midnight tonight when the last of us were to have … expired."

Some of those in attendance starting looking at one another with concern.

"What we will be doing forthwith is reducing the odds of anything occurring beyond our control. Namely we will be leaving Hogwarts and entering the Muggle world."

Now confusion was settling in.

"Professor, wouldn't being here be safer?" Molly asked.

"On the contrary. We need to be as far away from large concentrations of magic as we can. It is what is fueling the remainder of the castings that is causing our dilemma."

Harry scanned the group of faces seeing a small amount of hope in their eyes of escaping their impending doom. Hannah was breathing easier, Hermione's sparked with determination, Ron's face slacked in trepidation of going some place that he was not familiar, and the adults surrounding them stood curious about the headmaster's new plan.

"I must ask all of you to put your trust in me from now until this threat has passed." Dumbledore relaxed his shoulders. "I know I have not earned your trust this evening, but Harry has. With the help of Miss Tonks he has done that which I could not and that is to give us all a fighting chance to survive that which I regrettably thought was the end."

He looked to his side and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "That is why I am asking that you continue to trust him to lead you the rest of the way this day."

Harry's eyes widened and he tried to step away but failed under the strong grip of the headmaster. Scatterings of confusion made themselves known among the voices of almost everyone there, but Dumbledore raised his free hand and quieted the protest.

"Harry and I will be retiring to my office and upon his return he will lead you and insure your safety."

The headmaster turned and faced Tonks. "Nymphadora, if you would be so good as to retrieve Harry's axe and meet us I would be in your debt."

"Come Harry."

-

04:17 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Scotland

Headmaster's Office

-

-

Dumbledore approached his bookshelf and waved his wand over the front releasing whatever kept his hidden alcove where he stored his pensive secure. Harry sat numbly in the chair he always occupied at the end of every year as Dumbledore did something behind the cover of half of the bookshelf. When he stepped backward he was holding a black metal box of sorts the length of his forearm and half of that length in width.

He took a seat next to Harry which the young man was curious as to why he didn't take his normal seat behind the desk. Setting the box on the desk he held his hand over the top and closed his eyes for a moment. The top of the box shimmered and faded away. Inside the box, Harry noted, were two vials of clear liquid with gold flakes floating slowly.

"Professor…"

Dumbledore held his hand up. "Harry, do you trust me?"

"What does that have to…"

"Harry, it is most important. Please answer the question."

The young man relaxed back in his chair. "I – I know you mean well, Professor. I've never questioned your intent, but some of the decisions you've made over that last couple of years …"

Dumbledore nodded. "I understand," he sighed. "It is the one of the failings of age that we forget what it is like to be youthful and independent."

He sat for another moment. "It will be enough."

Tonks chose that moment to enter the office.

"Ah, Nymphadora, just in time," the headmaster said in greeting. "If you would be seated you will be witness to the proceedings."

"What's going on, Professor?" Tonks inquired with a small amount of trepidation.

Dumbledore smiled slightly but ignored her question. "Acting in my role as Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot let it be known that Harry Potter is innocent of all future actions of this the 23rd day of December in the 1147th year of Merlin. It is of my will alone which the aforementioned Harry Potter possesses no knowledge that I set forth this ritual."

Harry looked back at Tonks; trepidation knitted his brow.

"Harry," the Headmaster said.

His head swiveled back to the professor. "What's happening?"

Dumbledore selected one of the glass vials and handed it to Harry the other he selected for himself. "Drink, Harry and all will be explained."

Dumbledore unsealed his vial and tilted the vial to his own mouth as Harry watched the contents empty into the professor's mouth. He looked down at his vial and twisted the top free mimicking his elder's actions.

The tart oily fluid tingled on his tongue as he swallowed and watched as the headmaster took Harry's hand in his own interlacing the fingers and grasping tightly with much more strength than he though the old man possessed.

"Thusly we begin."

0

The light and office shifted to a large blur before righting itself with only Harry and Dumbledore sitting by themselves except the headmaster was sitting in his traditional seat behind the desk. Harry pulled forward to the edge of his chair.

"What just happened?"

Dumbledore just smiled. "Harry it has come time for you to fulfill your destiny, and I will do anything to make sure that you survive along with those people you hold most dear."

Harry cocked his head slightly. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

The headmaster interlaced his fingers and leaned forward on the desk. "Currently I am passing on something that was previously passed on to me by my mentor who in turn received … lets just say generations of wizards have acquired an affinity for magic and I am passing that on to you."

"An affinity?"

"Indeed."

"Right."

Seeing his pupil waiting for an explanation Dumbledore continued. "You have shown a predisposition, Harry, in being able to perform great magic, your Patronus for example. However wonderful creating a corporeal Patronus at thirteen years of age will not in turn guarantee that you will be powerful enough to defeat Lord Voldemort.

"You will have to hone this skill over the years with study, but I am quite certain that you will achieve acclaim along with the greatest wizards in history of which I am honored to be a part of."

Finally losing patience Harry shook his head and stood. "What in the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"I cannot say anything more definite on the matter, Harry. I am truly sorry. I can say that the affinity has a different effect on each wizard that it is passed to. You will have to explore to find its effect on you for I will not be around to help you."

"What do you mean?" Harry said with concern. "Are you abandoning me?"

Dumbledore sighed. "In a way, Harry, I will always be with you through the affinity, though I will not be with you in body."

Harry finally made the connection. "You're dying?"

"I am dead already, Harry," Dumbledore said flatly. "The potion I drank passed on the affinity to you through the contact we have made with our hands. The potion you drank prepared your body for acceptance of the affinity."

Harry turned around and stalked behind the chair. "You're using me again! Dammit!"

"I am sorry you feel this way. However, you must understand that it was necessary in order for the rest of you to have a chance in survival. I do not believe you possessed the skills to survive … possibly, but I could not take that chance." He paused and watched as Harry kick at the table full of silvery instruments that he had only repaired five months previous and once again knocked them to the floor.

"Additionally I have disrupted the curse, hopefully enough to drain enough power out of the castings to give you and the others an edge in the coming hours."

Harry spun about again facing his mentor. "What?"

Dumbledore smiled once again which was beginning to infuriate Harry to no end. "I've taken myself out of the equation, Harry. I was meant to die much later than the others and now the castings are having difficulty adjusting. If it has no other effect than in stopping the continuation of the list after me then at least I will have saved you, Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley.

"I have spent the last hour reviewing what I knew about this type of casting and the only remedy I would result in was that a single person would have to die out of turn in order weaken the resulting curse."

Harry leaned into the desk, anger etched on his face. "Do I look like I have a clue as to what the hell you are saying?"

Dumbledore blinked a few times and decided on another explanation.

"I shall put this in as simplest terms as possible then, Harry." He paused while he watched the young man ease backward. "The casting was made to, for lack of a better word, execute certain actions at certain times; for each hour a different person would die."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"By taking myself out of the equation I have disrupted the original casting and the magic will try to sort itself out, but in doing so will it will use up a portion of the existing power that has been used to set the original list resulting in a less efficient spell overall."

The headmaster fisted his hand and shook it out. "Our time is limited," he continued in haste. "Inside the black box you will find instructions on creating the potion that was in the vials when it comes time for you to pass on the affinity to another."

Dumbledore stood and walked around to the front of the desk. "Harry."

The furious young man turned but said nothing.

"I am sorry that it has to be this way, but this is the greatest gift that I could possibly give you under the circumstances, and the only action I could take to give a fighting chance to the others. In time I hope you understand."

Harry crossed his arms and clenched his teeth. "I understand that you just took the coward's way out, Professor, and laid everyone's life in my hands."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "And that itself will probably be my wisest contribution to the world, Harry." He took a step backward. "Forgive me."

The office blurred once more and Harry closed his eyes and shook the image out then opened them noticing immediately that he was back in his chair and Dumbledore was sitting across from him. Their hands were still locked together but the headmaster's fell limp in his own.

He pulled his hand back letting the dead arm drop and the body slump to the back and to the side of the chair.

"Stupid, stupid …"

He heard more than saw Tonks get up quickly from her chair and move to check the condition of the headmaster. She placed two fingers against Dumbledore's pulse point on his neck and then gasped.

"He's dead."

"He killed himself, Tonks."

Before he could say anything more Tonks enveloped him with her arms from behind. Setting her chin on his shoulders she whispered, "I'm sorry."

Harry shrugged away after a moment. "He took the easy way out, the coward." And with that Harry dashed out of the office and ran most of the way to the Great Hall.

-

04:30 a.m.

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry – Scotland

The Great Hall

-

-

When he arrived at the door Moody met him and pushed him out into the hall.

"What happened, Potter?" he almost growled. One minute Dumbledore's there," he pointed at the map, "and then the next he's gone. Did he Portkey somewhere?"

Harry face was flushed and his breath rapid. He looked behind Moody to make sure nobody was listening. "He's dead. He drank this stupid potion and killed himself leaving me, of all people, in charge."

Moody's magical eye stopped swiveling and centered on him making Harry wonder briefly whether or not it was some sort of lie detector. It was creepy enough to make someone want to tell him the truth just so he'd stop staring at them with the bug-eyed thing.

"It's true," Tonks said after arriving only seconds previous.

Moody's eye spun toward the Great Hall and his face took on a constipated look. "Not a word to anyone in here. There's enough panic as it is. Make something up if anyone asks."

Harry rolled his eyes in frustration. "Great, well why not. I'm in charge that means I get to manipulate people. Come with the job description or something?"

"Tonks, watch the door," Moody said without turning his head. The next moment Harry found himself slammed up against the wall. "Now listen here you ungrateful whelp. Dumbledore told me it might come down to this and made me promise to follow your lead and advise you as the case may be, but if you think for one moment that I am going to stand by and take orders from a sixteen year old brat with a complex then I'll stun you here, and you can take your chances alone while I do my best out there for these people in the Muggle world.

"I'd much rather have you along seeing as you're supposed to be some sort of 'chosen one' or something. It's good for morale and all of that crap." Moody backed off a little but continued. "You've done good tonight, Potter. You did the things that needed to be done and didn't cry because it got a little messy at times. Now these people need a positive and reassuring leader. Can you do the job or are you going to stamp your foot and cry about all the unfairness in the world?"

Condescension was not one of Harry's favorite ways to be spoken to. "Well actually …"

"Harry," Tonks snapped.

"Fine," he said in response.

He didn't wait for Mad Eye to let go and stepped to the side while pushing him away. He took a breath and strode into the Great Hall.

"Who can do a Portkey?"

In answer to his question a brown owl landed on his shoulder dropping a letter into his hands and then it proceeded to rapidly peck at him. Harry swatted the angry bird away.

"Get off, you barmy bird!"

It fluttered around him and Harry's temper was exceeding extreme when he swatted his hand at the owl. It stalled in the air for a moment and then exploded in a burst of feathers.

Tonks was standing closest him. "What is it with you and birds, Harry?"

Hermione rushed him and stopped inches away looking down at the blood and brown feathers still falling around him. "How did you do that without a wand?"

Harry shrugged. "Accidental magic? It happens when I get mad."

He tore at the envelope and withdrew the parchment inside.

_Harry Potter,_

_With blatant disregard to the Restriction of Underage Sorcery on this date you have been monitored casting the Killing Curse at the Silver Stag Hotel, London. You will cease and desist any magic whatsoever and wait for the Aurors which have been dispatched to snap your wand and bring you to Azkaban to await trial._

_Yours respectfully,_

_Mafalda Hopkirk _

"I love my life," Harry said with bitter sarcasm.

Moody grunted from behind me.

"Destination Potter?"

I crumbled the parchment into a small ball and tossed it to the side. "Huh?"

"The Portkey?"

"Oh, right," he said as he pondered where they would be safest for the moment. "How about a nice pub? Maybe one that's closed?"

Moody stared at Harry to see if he was serious. "Uh huh," he blandly said. "Right, well, grab a hold."

He held out a fist sized black ring of metal for Harry to grab and then stepped back pulling it along with him as everyone watched it expanding in size a couple of feet in diameter. Tapping his wand on the ring and saying the incantation the ring glowed blue for a moment.

"Everyone grab on," Moody announced. "Thirty seconds and we're leaving."

04:37 a.m.

The Hole in the Wall - Belfast, Ireland

The Dance Floor

The hopeful but timid crowd landed in a bunch as most of the teens had never experienced Portkey travel. Murmurs of curiosity as to their location were squelched by Moody a moment later.

"We're in a pub in Belfast not too far from the local ministry in case we need backup."

Harry shook his head and stood from his position on his knees next to Tonks. "I don't think I'll be calling on the Ministry that wants to put me in Azkaban for trying to kill Voldemort."

Moody's mad eye centered on Harry a second later. "Then I suggest that you be more specific about where you want to hide out next time."

Harry brushed himself off and looked around the room. The only light in the pub came from the neon lighting that was traditionally left on twenty-four hours a day. It was enough that they wouldn't trip over anything and still maintain their privacy from inquiring eyes from the street, though who would be on the streets at four-thirty in the morning was another question.

"Right, well I'm hungry," Harry stated as he made his way to the bar off center of the back wall.

Hermione rushed up behind him. "Harry don't you think we should set up a guard, or prepare for what's going to happen next."

He made his way behind the bar and spotted a refrigerator next to the cash register which he opened and after a moment pulled out a tray of decretive fruit used for poofy drinks.

"And exactly what would you suggest we do, Hermione?"

He popped a maraschino cherry in his mouth and held it still with his teeth as he pulled off the step and tossed it on the floor before he continued.

"I mean the whole reason we're here is that it's a purely Muggle place. No magic. Nothing to feed the castings is what Dumbledore wanted. Now we wait."

Most of the teens made their way to the bar. Some of them pulled stools down and made a place to sit while others huddled around the adults for comfort. Harry pulled an inverted glass from a large stack in front of him and set it upright.

Hermione followed him with nervous eyes. "Harry, you're not going to get drunk are you?"

He noticed a stainless steel flex hose with a dispenser at the tip decorated with several buttons and then he gave Hermione a crooked eyebrow.

"Um, actually I was going to grab a Coke. Want one?"

She gave him a nervous giggle in relief. "Diet please."

Harry scoffed. "We all might die tonight, Hermione. Live a little."

Her face cringed a little in response. "Sprite then. I don't think I should have the caffeine as nervous as I already am."

He experimented a few times to find out which button dispensed which soda and then he filled each glass after Hermione had found the ice. They each took a drink while the rest of the teens watched on.

A few minutes later after everyone that wanted a drink had received one a bright light came from Moody and he turned and sent one back. He limped to the bar with an echoing clomp.

"They've found the Abbot girl. I sent McGonagall a message telling her where we're at."

Harry nodded and looked around until he found a clock above the bar noting that they still had five minutes until the hour closed. He made his way out from behind the bar and to the dance floor where they had arrived and waited.

Everyone stood in silence except for a couple of small hushed voices from the bar. The sound of the conventional heater kicked on and startled Susan Bones with a small yelp. Arthur Weasley wrapped an arm around her in shared comfort. Harry smiled grimly and was about to turn back to the dance floor when one of the neon lights sparked and the light it emitted went out.

Fred Weasley looked above him and noticed the light as well as a small flame shooting out the back end from the metal box at its base.

"Bloody hell," he said.

Hermione saw the flame and made her way quickly to the portable fire extinguisher hanging from one of the four columns at each corner of the bar. "I'll get it," she said hurriedly.

"No magic," Harry responded to everyone else.

Fred looked down in his hand at the glass of soda he had only taken a sip from. He looked to the side and grabbed his brother's as well and flung them both up in the air slinging the drinks at the small fire.

"I've got it," he yelled with confidence.

Harry saw what he was doing a moment too late. "Fred, NO!"

The soda hit the metal case in the back of the neon light, what Harry knew was a small electric transformer, and a crackling sound of electricity arced.

"MOVE!"

Screams rent the air right after the transformer exploded sending sparks every which way. The remainder of the soda from Fred's attempt landed on the floor subsequently making several of the teens that were trying to get away slip and fall.

The sound of a rushing wind sounded from behind Harry on the dance floor as he watched a lone glass of soda fly past him and hit the floor spilling its contents haphazardly around.

The arriving Portkey holding Professor McGonagall and Hannah Abbot arrived a second later. Harry dove after her when he saw where she was landing. Her foot hit a wet spot and she slipped but before she had even rocked back enough to fall Harry had tackled her to the floor twisting his body around to use as cushion for her fall.

The two of them slid to a stop after only a couple of feet.

"Hannah," yelped Harry. "Are you okay?"

She was shocked into silence and only nodded.

Another explosion sounded from the transformer and it fell from its hanging from the acoustic ceiling. Its long power cord was still attached when it hit the floor and the acuminated soda of the surrounding area lighting it in brilliant blue arcs of electricity. Fred was scrambling away from it when his body froze up with 220 volts coursing through.

Hermione swung the fire extinguisher in a wide arc passing where the cord hung from the ceiling and disconnected it ending the unnatural dancing lights across the teen's body. Fred collapsed a second later.

Harry took to his feet and dashed to the fallen body of Fred Weasley with Hermione close by.

He pressed his fingers against the seeming inert body's neck and couldn't find a pulse.

"Hermione, CPR!"

Harry inched over and laid his hands, one atop the other, over where Fred's heart should be and pumped while Hermione tilted his head back and blew a breath into his mouth.

"What are they doing?" screamed Molly Weasley. "Fred! My baby!"

Arthur struggled against her superior weight but managed to hold her back.

"Check," Harry yelled and Hermione stopped her last breath.

He checked for a pulse and still found nothing.

"Again!"

They both resumed pumping and breathing for Fred trying at a task that seemed in vain until a few seconds later when Fred gave a lurch and coughed into Hermione's face.

Harry fell back on his butt and looked around to see marveled looks directed toward him.

"Attention in the back, all wizards and witches. Electricity and water don't mix!"

He collapsed to his back and closed his eyes for a moment. When he reopened them he found the clock above the bar.

05:03 a.m.


End file.
